Ukraine

Ukraine is a nation that lies in the Eastern Europe. On the east of the country there is Russia. On its west there is Hungary, Slovakia and Poland. On the south it is surrounded by the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. On its southwest it is bordered by Moldova and Romania, and on its north it is bordered by Belarus.

The largest city in Ukraine is its capital city and it is the city of Kiev. There are twenty-four provinces in Ukraine and two cities that have special status. These two cities are Sevastopol and Kiev.

There are about 46.2 million people in this country and more than 75% of these people are Ukrainians. The remaining people in Ukraine are Romanians, Russians and Belarusians.

The Official language of Ukraine is the Ukrainian language but Russian is also spoken by many people. The chief religion of this nation is the Eastern Orthodox Christianity and this religion has influenced the music, literature and architecture of the country.

Ukraine is considered to be the 44th largest country in the world with an area of about 603,700 square kilometers. Its coastline is about 2,782 square kilometers. This country ranks 8th as the most visited countries in the world by the tourists.

  • 4

    Chortkiv Castle (Ruins)

    Chortkiv Castle dates from 1610, when Chortkiv and whole Western Ukraine were part of Polish Kingdom) and is situated on the top of a hill on the bank of the river Seret, which flows south through Chortkiv and is a tributary of Dniester.

  • 1

    Descent of the Holy Spirit Church, Potelych

    Wooden Descent of the Holy Spirit Church was built in suburb of Potelych, Ukraine in 1502 on the place of a church that burned down by tatars. It is the oldest wooden church in Lviv Oblast. Church was visited by Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

  • 5

    Dubno Castle

    Dubno Castle was founded in 1492 by Prince Konstantin Ostrogski on a promontory overlooking the Ikva River not far from the ancient Ruthenian fort of Dubno, Volhynia.

  • 5

    Fortified Church, Sutkivtsi

    Fortified Church, Sutkivtsi village, Khmelnytsky oblast, Ukraine. Intercession Church-Castle was built conceivably as a dungeon of Sutkivtsi castle. In 1476 it was rebuilt into Intercession church as evidenced by an inscription on one of the bells.

  • 5

    Fortress of Aluston (Ruins)

    The Fortress of Aluston was constructed in VI century by Byzantines. It was expanding and step by step it developed into a small fortified town. The Fortress defended the coast against nomads, controlled the harbour and secured navigation of merchant vessels.

  • 5

    Funa Fortress (Ruins)

    Funa (in Greek it means “smoky”) – the fortress situated on the rocky hill at the bottom of Demerdgi Mountain. Before, Demerdgi Mount was called Funa.

  • 3

    Genoese Fortress (Ruins), Balaklava

    Genoese Fortress, Balaklava. In the mid 14th century in the bay of Symbols Genoese merchants have founded the Cembalo castle (the name derives from greek Symbolon). In 1475 Cembalo was taken by the Ottoman Turks who renamed it into Baliq-Uve (Balaqlava).

  • 5

    Herburt Castle (Ruins), Dobromyl

    Stanislav Herburt began building this high castle in 1566, but it would be his son Jan Schasnyi (Lucky) that would complete its construction. Jan was highly educated and talented and made a great contribution to the building of the town Dobromyl below his castle.

  • 3

    Historical Architectural Ensemble of Lviv

    Lviv is one of the most important cultural centres of Ukraine. The city is known as a centre of art, literature, music and theatre. Nowadays, the indisputable evidences of the city cultural richness is a big number of theatres, concert halls, creative unions, and also high number of many artistic activities (more than 100 festivals annually, 60 museums, 10 theatres).

  • 1

    Holy Trinity Church, Zhovkva

    Wooden Holy Trinity Church was built in suburb of Zhovkva, Ukraine in 1720 on the place of a church that burned down in 1717. The structure consisits of three wooden naves and a brick sacristy.

  • 8

    Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle

    Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle is a former Ruthenian-Lithuanian castle and a later three-part Polish fortress located in the historic city of Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, in the historic region of Podolia in the western part of the country.

  • 3

    Kankiv Castle (Ruins)

    The castle on Chorna Hora (Black Mountain) was built over the ancient settlement of the Stanovo Culture (14th – 12th Century B.C.). When the Magyars, the predecessors to the Hungarian nation, first arrived in the Tisa and Danube River basin in the 9th Century AD they recorded a fort on this spot by the local Slavic chieftain.

  • 7

    Khotyn Fortress

    The Khotyn Fortress is a fortification complex located on the right bank of the Dniester River in Khotyn, Chernivtsi Oblast (province) of western Ukraine.

  • 2

    Khust Castle (Ruins)

    Khust Castle - fortifications that existed in the 11. to 18. century Khust (Transcarpathian region, Ukraine). The castle was built as the Hungarian royal fortress to protect the salt from Solotvyna and to protect the border area. Its construction began in 1090 and was completed by King Bela III. In 1191.

  • 5

    Klevan Castle

    Klevan Castle is one of the oldest forts in Volynia, Ukraine. It was built in the mid-15th century by Prince Michael Chortoryisky in order to control a ford over the Stubla River.

  • 10

    Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

    Kiev Pechersk Lavra or Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Ukrainian: Києво-Печерська лавра, Kyievo-Pechers'ka lavra, Russian: Киeво-Печерская лавра, Kievo-Pecherskaja lavra), also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves, is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery which gave its name to one of the city districts where it is located in Kiev.

  • 3

    Lower Lavra of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

    Lower Lavra it is the current monastery where monks are living and adoring like a thousand years ago. There are Near and Far underground Lavra Caves located in Lower monastery.

  • 3

    Mansion (Palace), Podhorce, Stryi

    Mansion (Palace) in Podhorce village, near Stryi city in Lviv Oblast (region) of western Ukraine (in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains).

  • 5

    Mansion Dakhovskih, Leskovo

    Mansion Dakhovskih in Leskovo village, Cherkasy region, Ukraine. The magnificent neo-Gothic mansion in the style of English medieval castles located in a landscaped park laid back in the XVIII-XIX centuries.